KidVid Tournament 2009: Gustafer Yellowgold vs. Eric Herman

Our final first-round matchup of the week is in the Woody Guthrie Region for KidVid Tournament 2009It's a matchup of #2 vs. #3: Gustafer Yellowgold's "Getting in a Treetop" from the new DVD/CD set Gustafer Yellowgold's Mellow Fever going up against Eric Herman's video for "The Tale of the Sun and the Moon" off his Snail's Pace collection.

Comments welcome below, but the videos and the all-important official poll are after the jump. All votes due by midnight tonight (Thursday) East Coast time. One vote per person, please. And, yeah, play nice.
Gustafer Yellowgold - "Getting in a Treetop"

Eric Herman - "The Tale of the Sun and the Moon"

One Mint Green Bee Wasn't Enough: John Lennon Songwriting Contest 2008

It's not news that I'm a big fan of Gustafer Yellowgold. And I already told you about how Gustafer creator Morgan Taylor won the John Lennon Songwriting Contest's 2008 Session I Children's Music category for "Mint Green Bee." Well, Gustafer has met his match. Literally. The Session II winners have been announced, and winning the category this go-round is "One Wasn't Enough," from Bangor, Maine's Flannery Brothers.

And now the decision as to the best song of the year is up to you, folks. After listening to both songs (you can download the Flannery Brothers song at the link above), go here to cast your vote. (Voting ends May 1.) And while I'm a big Gustafer fan, I think it's really hard to listen to the Flannery Brothers track (off their upcoming debut Love Songs for Silly Things) and not have a smile on your face. An old-school Trout Fishing in America-style track. Tough choice.

Gustafer Yellowgold: Now With Extra Strings

I don't typically talk about single shows featuring just one performer, but I thought the latest effort from Gustafer Yellowgold deserved a brief mention. This weekend Morgan Taylor will premiere Gustafer Yellowgold’s Golden Heart Symphony, which will take place in the Presidio Middle School auditorium on Saturday, March 21 at 11 AM & 3 PM and Sunday, March 22 at 2 PM and 5 PM. (Again, that's this weekend, folks.)

Taylor commissioned orchestral arrangements of many of the Gustafer Yellowgold songs and these concerts will involve Morgan, his full band, and a 52-piece orchestra of San Francisco’s finest public school music students. The whole extravaganza will benefit music enrichment in the San Francisco public schools, specifically the SF Unified School District's “Save the Summer Music Workshop” campaign.

When I talked with Morgan and his wife (and bandmate) Rachel when they were here in Phoenix a couple weeks ago, the project sounded very cool. I mean, a 52-piece orchestra. I'm not sure there's another kids artist that would put 'em to better use.

Concert Recap: Gustafer Yellowgold (Phoenix, March 2009)

Again, before it gets too far past the event, wanted to throw out a few thoughts about the first-ever Arizona appearance of Gustafer Yellowgold this past weekend. Morgan Taylor and Rachel Loshak performed a couple brief sets at the Children's Museum of Phoenix. Little Boy Blue and I attended the first set, which we enjoyed, except when I wouldn't let him use my tiny camcorder, at which point he pitched a fit. (Which is why you won't be seeing "Butter Pond Lake.")

In any case, it was a good show, and what was interesting for me was seeing the DVD translate to a live setting. I mean, the insertion of between-song banter was something I'd never really considered while watching the DVDs (for obvious reasons). Taylor's a funny guy, which comes through in the videos, of course, but the concert confirmed the fact.

We chatted a bit after the show (and before the noon show) and we bought a Gustafer doll. Now to figure out where to pose him for a picture...

Gustafer Yellowgold - "Your Eel" (Live)

One more picture after the jump...

That Was Great. Tons of Fun. Can I Sleep Now?

Well, on Friday night I was on NPR.

Then on Saturday I saw Gustafer Yellowgold in concert, something I helped put on.

And I just got back from being Justin Roberts' roadie. (Seriously, unloading and setting up, then taking down and loading, the sound system.)

It's been a blast, and a great weekend of family music -- pictures and video to come -- but I'd like to rest now. I probably didn't need to have all that beer last night, either, but it went great with all that Iranian food I ate.